hough the general shape of previously reported Unidentified Aerial Phenomena are triangular, circular, or even in the shape of a “Tic Tac,” a recent report will have the U.S. government adding yet another shape to the list.

A photographer from Chicago captured a shot of a spooky object that was apparently changing colors while it was sitting stationary in the sky, according to the Daily Mail.

The report noted that depending on who is looking at the phenomena, it could look like an alien’s face, an indigenous totem, or even Rafiki, the monkey from “The Lion King.”


Advertisement


Experts are still not clear as to what the phenomena actually is, but they agreed that it is “beautiful and spectacular.” Speculation has swirled in the UFO world as to what it could be, but it appears scientists are taking a more sober approach to the event, according to MiTech News.

The photo was apparently taken by Dietrich Zeigler, a photographer based in Chicago, who shared his findings with the Daily Mail.

“It was around evening just as the sun dipped below the horizon,’ Zeigler said, adding that “I noticed some colorful shimmering and took out my 70-200 MM lens and shot this.”

Zeigler went on to say that the “object’s appearance was striking, with a palette of purple, gold, and green.” But the photographer did not seem to offer a suggestion as to what the object actually was.

“It seemed to be changing colors, but the shape remained the same which looks like a mask. After quickly heading indoors to examine the photos, I was unable to locate it in the sky again.”

Zeigler went on to say that it “seemed as stationary as a star” to the naked eye, though there are differences in the photos captured, which could mean that the object was moving slowly through the sky.

“I was quite startled upon reviewing the photos on a larger screen,” Zeigler said, noting that “[e]ven now, I frequently gaze at the sky, both during the day and at night, hoping to witness something as remarkable.” ‘Yet, nothing similar has crossed my view since that intriguing evening.’

UFO stands for ‘unidentified flying object’ and so the term doesn’t necessarily describe an object with an extraterrestrial origin.

Nick Pope, a UFO expert formerly with the UK’s Ministry of Defence, called it a ‘beautiful image’ but couldn’t identify the ‘unidentified aerial phenomenon’ (UAP), now the preferred term by authorities.

‘Often, when looking at UAP images, we’re not necessarily seeing an accurate picture of the object,’ Pope told MailOnline.

‘Distortions can occur for example when an object is photographed through glass, or when zooming-in, or as a result of various anomalies and light effects relating to the camera.’ Another British UFO researcher, Philip Mantle, said the object could be plasma or even ice crystals in the clouds.

‘I’ve seen these ice crystals myself and they do look really spectacular,’ he told MailOnline. ‘[But] it’s difficult to reach a definitive conclusion.’